Pineapple Mango Smoothie

Web Admin 0 512 Article rating: No rating

Pineapple Mango Smoothie, a refreshingly delicious and naturally sweet kid-approved green vegetable and fruit smoothie.

green smoothie in tall glass next to fruit

Pineapple Mango Smoothie

Using up leftover bits of this and that from the fridge or freezer can often result in some great new recipes. Quite a few of our favorite breakfast smoothies have begun this way.

These Pineapple Mango Smoothies with spinach are exactly that. I mixed this smoothie together recently because I wanted to use up the remaining pineapple juice from the canned pineapple I used in a batch of Hawaiian muffins.

When I shared this recipe with a friend her kids renamed these smoothies “Green Monster Smoothies” which gave me a good laugh.

I need to take notes from her because she has also convinced her kids that smoothies and crackers and cheese or hard-boiled eggs are a meal. That meal is a special treat they beg for when dad is out of town on business!

 

Frozen fruit creates a smooth texture for this drink. Often smoothies have ice cubes in them, which is fine, but we prefer ours this way. In order to always have ingredients on hand, you’ll want to freeze your fruit in advance.

If you have produce on the verge of spoiling, I like to prevent waste by freezing it. Just place the fruit on a sheet pan and freeze it. Then transfer the loose, frozen fruit to a zip-top bag for later use.

I do like to use fresh spinach when I have it on hand, but if you’re staring down a bit of leftover baby spinach don’t hesitate to toss it in the freezer. While it won’t be great on its own or if you try to cook it later, it will work well tossed into future smoothies.

Personally, we don’t care for the flavor of it after it is frozen and it just doesn’t seem to incorporate as smoothly. Speaking to smoothness though, since you are using spinach be sure to blend this extra to really get it purred in with the fruits.

All smoothies need some extra liquid to help the fruits and vegetables blend. Pineapple juice is the main one but water is your other liquid. Regular cold water is fine, or if you have some coconut water on hand it will be quite tasty.

The combination here is a great one. It was very smooth and much more juice-like than some of our other green smoothies. The kids and I enjoyed our smoothies on the back patio along with our Favorite Pancakes made into PB&J sandwiches. It was a fun lunch.

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

Web Admin 0 443 Article rating: No rating

Crisp tortillas filled with saucy bbq chicken and melting cheese add up to these BBQ Chicken Quesadillas. They are a little bit spicy, awesomely cheesy, and they are a very popular lunch in our house.

quesadillas made with bbq chicken

BBQ Chicken Quesadilla

I am fairly certain that some of the most delicious dishes come from staring into the refrigerator looking for inspiration from leftovers. This was a very successful lunch quickly put together using leftovers from the refrigerator.

This isn’t a complicated meal at all, but it sure was delicious! I’m planning to BBQ some chicken this week, just to have it in the fridge for a couple of easy lunch quesadillas and enchiladas.

Quesadillas are a meal or a snack that once kids can safely use the stove, they can be taught to make. When teaching my boys I started with the skillet on fairly low, basically, let the cheese melt then I would turn up the heat to get it crispy.

I would also suggest a big spatula like my favorite one. A larger spatula makes flipping so much easier without the insides coming out everywhere. A fish spatula does the trick as well.

A recipe really isn’t necessary for quesadillas but it is helpful to have a short guide and inspire new flavor combinations. While there isn’t much traditional about this quesadilla one thing is for certain, be sure to go for a creamy cheese melt.

Combining mozzarella with cheddar or Colby jack gives a creamy melt with a bit of sharpness. And don’t forget to “spill” a little in the pan, those melty cheesy crispy bits are the cook’s snack!

How do you cut your quesadillas? Sometimes I use a big chef’s knife to cut them in one swoop. But I have found that a pizza cutter is even easier and a bit safer for kids too if they are the ones doing the cooking.

chicken quesadillas on cutting boardRead more

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Web Admin 0 516 Article rating: No rating

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Perfectly fluffy and moist pumpkin muffins with chocolate chips! Eat them with a hot cup of apple cider for breakfast or have a plate full ready for the kids when they get home from school!

Ok, settle a debate! Would you say these muffins are a breakfast food, a snack, or a dessert? I can see arguments for all three, and I’m happy to eat them for all three, but what is your opinion? Or does it even matter?

A muffin tin with chocolate chip pumpkin muffins. The muffins are sprinkled with mini chocolate chips

These muffins have all the warm pumpkin spices you crave in the fall and will fill even the strongest of pumpkin spice cravings. I bet you won’t be able to stop at just one muffin!

I wonder who had the thought to take a squash and put it into a sweet baked good. Heaven bless that person because pumpkin treats are some of my favorites! Give me a piece pumpkin banana bread or a large piece of gingersnap pumpkin cheesecake bars. So dang good!

Ingredients Needed for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

No surprises here with these ingredients. Head down to the recipe card for all the measurements. This is what you need:

  • Flour
  • Baking Soda
  • Cinnamon
  • Pumpkin Pie Spice
  • Salt
  • Canola Oil
  • Sour Cream
  • Buttermilk
  • Dark Brown Sugar
  • Sugar
  • Eggs
  • Canned Pumpkin
  • Mini Chocolate Chips

A top view of a chocolate chip pumpkin muffin in a muffin tin. Mini chocolate chips are sprinkled on top and there are other muffins in the muffin tin.Read more

Churro Rice Krispie Treat Recipe

Web Admin 0 471 Article rating: No rating

Churro Rice Krispie Treat Recipe

Just when we thought our Rice Krispie treat recipe couldn’t get any better, I decided to try a churro version with the new cinnamon sugar Rice Krispies and life as we know it has changed forever! 

Sometimes I wonder why I even try! Ha! It’s impossible to know what is going to make you all go crazy! I work so hard on developing recipes and taking great photos and then those recipes do nothing. On a whim, I post a video of Grayson’s new favorite Rice Krispie treat and it explodes on Instagram. You just never know!

So we’ve busted our buns to get this post written, photographed and out to everyone so you can enjoy it ASAP! For all our churro and cinnamon sugar lovers out there, this one is for you!
 
A photo of a single thick square churro rice krispie treat sitting on a small saucer and the treat is full of gooey marshmallows and topped with cinnamon sugar.
 

What is a Churro?

If you don’t know what a churro is, I have no words. A churro is a fried dough (similar to a donut) of Spanish and Portuguese origin that is typically coated in a layer of cinnamon sugar. Our family has been obsessed with everything churro for years and years. Let me prove it…

2013 – Churro Bites

2014 – Read more

The Little Things Newsletter #330 – Life, laughter, and lots of great food!

Web Admin 0 415 Article rating: No rating

Welcome to the weekend, friends! I spent the past few days in Rhode Island, exploring my friend Lynne‘s favorite part of the world. The foods we enjoyed this week were truly amazing; from lobster rolls to oysters, stuffies to clam chowder, scallop rolls to dough boys, chocolates, doughnuts, popcorn and Del’s frozen lemonades on repeat.

As much as I enjoy travel, it’s great to be home again. I’m looking forward to a fun weekend with all of my boys.

ON THE BLOG this week: Have you tried Hot Buttered Rum? A warm mug of hot buttered rum brings about a full body coziness that feels like you are being wrapped in a thick warm blanket. (You can make a non-alcoholic hot buttered “rum” as well!)

These chewy, richly spiced Hot Buttered Rum Cookies are the happy result of what can I do with the extra buttered rum batter I don’t want to freeze?

Chicken Enchilada Dip is a creamy, cheesy, spicy chicken-filled enchilada dip, a hit with everyone who tries it. Hearty enough for a main dish, this was an enormous success for our family movie night.

This skillet is a delightful combination of sweet potatoes, fresh corn, asparagus, and bacon with a drizzle of balsamic. It was something unexpected that I pulled together for a dinner side dish a few years ago, using odds and ends from the refrigerator. What resulted was a skillet full of magic. I know that sounds like I am exaggerating but I promise you I am not. This dish is so good it qualifies as a company coming over meal.

Espresso Ice Cream is quite easily one of my favorites. I love a simple, smooth yet rich and creamy authentically coffee-tasting ice cream. This is a simplified and egg-free version of my Cafe con Leche Ice Cream – and we LOVE it. 

What I’m CRAVING: Lobster Rolls! (Thanks a lot, Lynne.) I’m loving this version from my friend Heidi. She combines the buttery awesomeness of a hot lobster roll with the creamy dressing that I love on a cold roll. I need to try these lobster rolls soon!

My FAVORITE THINGS this week are these cheap little cork coasters. I have them all over the house. I originally bought them because my coffee was cooling way t

RSS
First148149150151153155156157Last